There is a beautiful pit bull at the humane society I am about to adopt, she is a year old, and I have some questions. I've always had a dog, and can train using treats. My concern is that I have decided I want to have 2 dogs.

I did a LOT of reading on line, and some websites say that pit bull personality and tempormend does not develop until 3 years old. Is this true? The pit bull I am about to adopt has been temperment tested by the volunteers who said she is good with other dogs, that she has no agression and plays nice with other dogs. She is young.

I know what I want out of life. I want to have 2 dogs. I always had just 1 dog. I get very attached. I think the only way I can do this is to adopt 2 at the same time, or very close to each other. Of course, if I adopt her, before I adopt another one I will want them to be together at the humane society to see if they like each other. I'm more worried about if the temperment changes.

I don't want to have to lock one dog in one room if I am away and the other dog in a second room. I want them both to have full roam of the house. I want them to both be happy and feel my home is their home too. I don't want any fighting or growling toward each other. I want them to be sisters who love each other and me. I plan on having 2 sets of water dishes, food dishes, and toys.

The other personality traits I am looking for is a dog that is laid back. In the winter I am not very active and would like a dog that is a couch potato who would like to watch tv with me or spend time laying by my chair in the computer room. They would get a lot of attention from me, lots of playing and petting.

Is a pit bull a good fit for what I want? Mostly I want a dog that I can love who will love me back.

AllisonPibbleLvr wrote:If you aren't willing to consider the possibility that you might have to eventually crate and rotate two dogs, I would discourage you from getting a Pitbull (or any terrier breed for that matter).

I want them both close to me, not one locked up while the other is free. I don't want to worry they will fight if I am not with them.

What are the odds that a dog friendly pit bull would develop agression later in life to dogs? Is this a rare or a common occurance?

What can I do to make the odds good than she will get along with another dog when she matures? The humane society spayed her and she gets along with other dogs. How likely is it this would change later in life?

I'm not trying to change a dog that is agressive to one that is not. I would be starting with a dog that loves EVERYONE, and that includes other dogs.

The best chance to have 2 that get along together that you can do things with the 2 of them at the same time is to get adults that are already matured and proven to be dog friendly, and test good together/balance each other out. Of course, you would still need to separate them when you can't supervise, but that is necessary for any 2 dogs of any breed. 2 small/medium size dogs can get in scraps when unattended just like 2 pit bulls or 2 dogs of different breeds. Dogs are individuals and should be looked at as such.

To touch on the age thing, when getting a dog of any breed that is not fully matured, it is possible for them to mature to not be dog friendly anymore. Something to think about if you are looking to adopt any younger dog. I do thank you for coming here to research, and for posting your concerns. It seems like you are really trying to educate yourself on dogs in general. I also greatly appreciate that you are looking to adopt.

Can you post a little about yourself so that I can give you access to the forum? Please also check out the training section. Many of the stickys there apply to all dog breeds, not just pit bull type dogs.

Curly_07 wrote:The best chance to have 2 that get along together that you can do things with the 2 of them at the same time is to get adults that are already matured and proven to be dog friendly, and test good together/balance each other out. Of course, you would still need to separate them when you can't supervise, but that is necessary for any 2 dogs of any breed. 2 small/medium size dogs can get in scraps when unattended just like 2 pit bulls or 2 dogs of different breeds. Dogs are individuals and should be looked at as such.

To touch on the age thing, when getting a dog of any breed that is not fully matured, it is possible for them to mature to not be dog friendly anymore. Something to think about if you are looking to adopt any younger dog. I do thank you for coming here to research, and for posting your concerns. It seems like you are really trying to educate yourself on dogs in general. I also greatly appreciate that you are looking to adopt.

Can you post a little about yourself so that I can give you access to the forum? Please also check out the training section. Many of the stickys there apply to all dog breeds, not just pit bull type dogs.

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I have been thinking about adopting an older pit bull (or any breed dog). The reason why I came here is because I found a specific pit bull at the humane society that I like and she is young. Nothing could make me happier than if I knew she would be good with a brother or sister. I was planning on going tomorrow to adopt, but reading some pit bull websites made me stop and rethink if I should adopt. I see myself having 3 choices. I can adopt her and another dog and hope that the volunteers know the tempermant and if there are problems deal with it later, such as putting them in different rooms when I'm not home. I can adopt a differet breed that doesn't have dog-dog agression. Or I can adopt only her and give up on the idea of a second dog, even though I want 2 dogs. Maybe wait a year to see if her personality changes and if she is still good with other dogs in a year. But I know myself well enough to know I would get too attached with her to adopt another dog later. I would favor her because I would bond with her first.

I spent time looking at pictures in the gallery and I see many 2 dog families which makes me think maybe it's not as big an issue as some websites say. If she is not agressive to dogs now, then maybe its more likely she will stay that way her whole life. This is what I am trying to research so I can make a good decision for her.

There is a second reason I want to find dogs that have an easy going temperment. I would like to volunteer at the humane society and possibly foster dogs in the future. For this to happen, I would have to trust my girls 100%, assuming I adopt two. I have realized that in my life dogs have provided me with a lot of happiness. I want to do something to give back.

I have always had dogs and they have been good parts of my life. No matter what happens in the working world, when I come home I feel happy. I don't feel the same way with an empty house, nobody to walk, nobody to pet and play with. Maybe I am selfish, but I think I can provide a better home for a dog than most people, and definitely better than a cage at the humane society. I hope that doesn't come across the wrong way, I have a lot of respect for the humane society.

I have two dogs-- a 13 year old "pitbull" type that we adopted when she was 8 and a 6 year old boxer mix that we adopted when he was 8 months.

All relationships are fluid. I have watched the dynamics of their relationship change over the past 5-6 years, sometimes for the better and sometimes not.

While both are non-aggressive towards one another, I realize that we have been lucky. The older dog is especially vulnerable now due to her age and health issues and I monitor them carefully to make sure the young one doesn't take advantage. They've lived together for five years and I'm still required to consider the possibility that they might need to be separated at some point.

Chances are, my two will always be fine. But if I wasn't prepared to consider the fact that things can change as dynamics between them change, then I have no business owning two dogs.

Many people here have multi dog homes, but most everyone will tell you to seperate the dogs when you are not there to supervise. Even dogs that are best friends will have disagreements from time to time, and if no one is around to say knock it off, you could very well come home to severly injured or dead dogs. This holds true for any household with more than one dog, regardless of the breeds.

My advice is if you are set on having two dogs and are set on not separating them, first, you should not own PB type dogs (even PB mixes) and second, you must know-exactly what Moores said-there is still a possibility of coming home to dogs that are injured due to a fight, or one (or even both) being killed by a fight.

Do you get along with all people all the time? Even the ones closest to you? Probably not. Everyone (and every dog) has their disagreements. It's safest to simply separate the dogs when you aren't able to supervise. And really-the dogs sleep most of the day, once it becomes a routine to them, it isn't anything that's too difficult for them to adjust to (assuming they don't have issues-i.e. separation anxiety).

If you look around this forum, and others that are PB oriented, you'll find lots of people with multiple dogs. I would bet my paycheck that most of them are in some sort of a crate and rotate lifestyle. Have you looked into it? What about it makes you so unhappy? If you do it right, I think (my opinion), for dogs who don't get along it's much much more relaxing/happy for them. There's not question as to whether one dog will annoy the other dog-they can't-they're separated. And it doesn't have to literally be a crate that separates them from the other dog. We rarely use crates in our house anymore. We use babygates, bedrooms, one dog inside and one dog outside, etc.

I appreciate (I know Curly mentioned this too) the fact that you're taking the time to do your research. It's so important to do it before hand like you're doing. Because you seem like a responsible person and you're doing your research ahead of time I really hope you are able to provide a safe, loving, responsible home for a PB. Good luck to you in your search!

I have done a lot of reading and think perhaps a pit bull is not a great choice for me. I'm a little sad right now. The girl at the humane society is very cute, very playfull, submissive, and according to their temperment test, she is good with other dogs and shows no signs of agression to dogs. All she wants to do is play and give kisses. Yet, after what I've read here last night, I don't want to experience what other people went through. The thread about the "selfish owner" whos wife came home from work and let the 3 dogs out and then went to bed, and he found them an hour later, that made me feel so sad for those dogs. I never would let then out like that, alone, for even 5 minutes alone. Yet, I would leave them alone inside my house together because I don't have the heart to cage a dog. People can give 100 logical reasons why its a good idea to cage a dog, but my heart says otherwise. I would not be happy in a cage and that's why I couldn't do it to them. I want the dogs to be able to walk, strech, sleep, or look out windows. Sometimes they want to look out a window in the backyard, sometimes they want to look out a window to the front yard. I don't want them in a cage.

I have always had a dog in my life, and never once had any issues with agression or biting. I have no fear of dogs or of being bitten, no matter how big or the breed. I've been around dogs of every kind, and I can feel their feelings before they do anything. I just know what they are feeling. When I meet a dog for the first time, I know how close I can get, what their body language is, their eyes, their ears, everything, how they feel, happy, sad, scared, and I give new dogs time and space to warm up to me, and they always warm up and come to me and give me love. And even more importantly, I think dogs can read me and my emotions. I bond quickly with dogs. I feel sad going back to the humane shelter because I always feel a little heartbroken when I leave a dog that I felt a connection with and I know they are going back to a cage to be alone. I wonder if they got adopted that day, or the next, who the family is, if they're happy. I want to go back every day to walk that dog, make sure they're not lonely, and give them happiness during the day. If I could, I would bring them toys and treats. Yet, I know that is not what shelters are for.

The reason I came here is I wished people would have responded "if a 1 year old pit bull is good with other dogs, she'll stay that way her life".

Thanks for all the reading material. I learned a lot. I don't want to subject any dog to an unhappy life.

I think you are misunderstanding crate rotate. It doesn't mean to necessarily cage them. It only means to safely separate them. They should have room to stretch out, relax, move around...not be in a tiny crate. I have 2 different pit bull breed dogs. They love each other, play with each other, sleep together, etc. BUT I would never leave them unattended together while I'm not home. When I had a GSD and fostered other pit bulls/Chihuahuas/currs/whatever, I'd always separate the dogs by rooms, crates, baby gates, or whatever worked for them. One of my dogs can be left out all the time and does great alone, my other gets separation anxiety if left alone for more than an hour unless she is in her crate. She loves her crate, and often just goes in there to sleep while I watch tv. Any 2 dogs can get in a scuffle over a stray bone/food/toy that is found if they both want the item. This is why it is necessary to separate dogs when not home...to prevent accidents from happening. It's not a bad thing. My dogs were dog friendly for the most part when young, and have stayed that way. It is possible, this lil one could be too. It is also possible she won't, any dog can mature this way. Dogs are individuals, just like you and I. It's always better to be safe than sorry, that's why I separate when I'm not home. Not because I think they will fight, but because anything can happen when you are not there. If you can't live with that, then no 2 dogs are good for you.

Honestly it's nice to see someone doing their research and really considering whether a dog will suit their home. APBT may not be the breed for you but it sounds like you will make a good owner for a different dog. Better to know that ahead of time than get a dog you can't deal with and end up rehoming, that's the situation that most of these dogs end up in before finally hitting the shelter system. Pit bulls are great for some people but not really ideal for many. My dogs get along fairly well but they are separated if we are not around and we also have separate feeding and exercise. We can separate without crating if we are here but for their safety and my stuff the younger two are crated when we are gone, one likes to chew and potty left to her own devices and the other gets more stressed left loose for some reason and may destroy things. My old girl is dependable alone thankfully and has run of the downstairs.

I just wanted to add...Any breed of dog isn't fully mature until (at least) 3 years of age. You can have a good idea of the dog's personality and temperament before that, but it takes a special kind of person with a ton of canine behavior knowledge to make a good assesment before maturity.

I have never had to crate and rotate here. I have 2 pit bulls and a Chi mix. When one of us is home, the girls all hang out together. When we are not here, they are always seperate. The Chi is crated (in a crate that could house an 80# dog) because she will potty in the house if no one is there to see her signals. Vi has a whole bedroom, and Lu has the run of the house. They all accept it and will go to their spots when we start getting ready to leave the house. I have peace of mind knowing they are all safe, and that my things are safe from them.

I have friends that have had the worst happen when they didn't seperate the dogs when they were not home. Not one of those friends has pit bulls. One has Chihuahuas, one has Goldens, and one has Papillons. All came home one day to a severely injured dog or two and a dead dog. IMO, it'snever worth the risk.

Even if you don't plan on crating your dog, crate training is a must. There will be a day that the dog will have to be crated for some reason. A vet stay, boarding, grooming, a hotel room stay, etc. If the dog is crate trained already, there won't be an issue when the situation comes up. Take it from a vet tech, a dog that is comfortable being crated, and not cage aggressive or anxious, is easier to treat while hospitalized. The dog will be able to reveive better care and more thorough treatment because the staff can handle the dog without being put in danger themselves. The dogs also respond to treatment better when they aren't stressed out because it is the first time in a crate.

I'm going to go ahead and approve you. I hope you do stick around and continue to read/educate yourself. You seem to really be trying and already working on that If you have any questions about things reccomended here, please feel free to reply in those threads so that we can help you out.